Choosing the right website developer for your real estate business can be a tricky process. To help you get started, here is a list of questions every agent and broker should ask when looking for the right company. Whether you’re looking for someone for your brokerage, or just for yourself, these questions will help you find a good web developer and set the foundation for a fruitful relationship.
Here are a few key areas your web developer should be able to help with: Search Engine Optimization: The key to a website’s success is having it appear in the top results on Google. Getting your site found by searchers is the primary purpose of SEO. A well-optimized website has a higher chance of ranking higher on search engines, especially for long-tail keywords. This leads to increased traffic to your website and improved sales.
First, it’s important to understand what your company needs out of a website. For starters, most agents would be better off with a website that is fully responsive, meaning that it scales and responds to different screen sizes. Unlike many businesses, websites can’t typically just be scaled down and moved elsewhere. The perfect website would be one that is optimized to be fit in any context – whether it’s an agency’s internal search engine, a buyer’s agent-centric website, or even an agent-focused website. If you’re looking for something more personalized, some agencies will hire a designer to build a personal website that reflects the person you are and your own branding, however that will take more time and money. Are my clients looking to buy or sell?
Question 1: How experienced is your web development team? When you’re evaluating a website developer, you want to look at their overall experience. This is where experience really matters. If you’re looking for an in-house solution, you might be stuck with a few staff members with minimal experience. But if you hire an out-sourced solution, you might be looking at a web development team comprised of lots of skilled staff with many years of experience. If the developer you’re interviewing has worked with your industry before, they’re more likely to have some industry-specific skills.
Once you’re happy with the website builder, ask the developer what happens next. The first thing the developer is going to do is set up the page to appear on Google, Yahoo, and Bing (if you’re using them). Make sure you give the developer your contact information (email and phone) so they can call you when this is done. This will allow you to test the website in the browser and make any changes that need to be made. Once the web developer sets up your website, they will then begin testing the site and the conversion rates so they can update the program for you. Before the app is updated, the website developer will also inform you when there are any updates or changes.
By answering these questions, you will have a good idea of what needs to be discussed when you start a web development project for your brokerage. Even if you’re starting from scratch, you’ll be better prepared than before.
